Srinagar, March 17 -- Jammu and Kashmir administration has launched a project to convert pine needles into bio-briquettes using advanced technology.

Pine forests account for 16.40 percent of the total wooded area in J&K. In summers, the shedding of dry needles forms a thick mat on the ground which not only affects the growth of regeneration, but due to the slow rate of decomposition, the needles sometimes easily catch fire, causing unaccountable damage to the environment.

To tackle this problem, pine needle material is being used to create eco-friendly bio-briquettes. Bio-briquettes are a biofuel substitute for coal and charcoal mostly made of green waste.

Rakesh Verma, Range Officer at Nowshera Forest Division, Jammu told The Kashmir ...